Five outstanding teachers nominated for RISE Educator Award

SHAH ALAM – Five educators have become finalists for the RISE Educator Award, which aims to celebrate and honour exceptional teachers who have contributed to their students’ education in the classroom and social development especially during the pandemic.

Taylor’s College in a statement said these educators went out of their way to inspire students with special needs and students from rural communities.

The first educator to be nominated was Mohammad Hazeem Azemi from SMK Kuala Krau, Pahang who worked tirelessly to spark inspiration within and beyond his classroom to help his native students and special needs students in the rural community.

“Amongst the great deeds he did for his students include helping his autistic student hone his skills to be able to represent Malaysia in the international Global IT Challenge competition held in South Korea.

“The student, who was said to be shy and often bullied by his peers because of his different abilities, is now conferred the Ikon Murid OKU in the Temerloh district,” the statement said.

Hazeem also funded the tickets and expenses to Langkawi for his student with Cerebral Palsy whose dream was to fly on an aeroplane, which subsequently inspired him to produce a short film titled ‘Amer’.

Another nominee was Mohamad Huszaimi Husin from SMK Tanjong Bunga, Pulau Pinang for his efforts to make his class enjoyable and accessible – especially for his students with learning disabilities.

He specialised in IT and had helped his student especially those with conditions such as dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, slow learner and down syndrome to be proficient in using computers.

Huszaimi helped his students embrace technology and familiarised them with the social world where the fourth industrial revolution would influence their future undertakings, which many have awarded him ‘an outstanding teacher’ title.

The third educator to be nominated was Little Leader Kindergarten in Perak’s principal Liang Pek Kue, who cared for many special needs children.

“Liang believes that it is her responsibility to help as many children as she can.

“Her love and care for her students has given her the passion and determination to learn about children’s psychological development by reading and taking up many courses so she would be able to inspire success for her young students and provides them (with) the same accessibility and inclusivity as the rest of their peers,” the college said in the statement.

In bridging the technological divide, Saifulnizan Che Ismail from SK Raja Bahar, Kelantan, was nominated for his effort in conceptualising the school’s digital classroom, which received an award for best use of virtual learning environment (VLE) in 2015 at the Kelantan state level for primary schools.

In 2018, Saifulnizan was named the most inspirational teacher for the 1Bestarinet Teacher Award for his contribution to the leadership of 21st Century Education.

His actions went beyond his teaching duties to create the school’s Digital Hub to produce creative students in digital innovation and robotics, allowiung his students to present their project titled ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ in Rome, Italy in 2019 and Singapore in 2020.

Meanwhile, another outstanding educator Tan Teng Wai from SJKC Cameron, Pahang, was nominated for his effort in preparing academic websites and programs to cultivate the talents and performance of students, led students in various contests to develop their skills, and offered educational trips to broaden their horizons.

During the pandemic, Teng Wai cooperated with non-profit organisations to provide financial aid and laptop for underprivileged students and improve the quality of schoolyards like the classroom, library, and laboratory to ensure a comfortable, well-equipped, modern learning environment.

RISE was an acronym for Remarkable Impact in Student Education, and the RISE Educator of the Year winner and nominator would bag RM5,000 and RM500 in cash prizes respectively.

Taylor’s College would also sponsor RM10,000 to the school of the winner to enhance their facilities.

To vote for this year’s nominees, click here.